Cloning Success: Review of Season 2 Orphan Black

Orphan Black's Second Season Premiere

Rating:

Star5

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The second season premiere leaves us with a standoff and quite possibly the same problem for Sarah as when the episode began, but deep within the original, untouched DNA of Orphan fans I venture to speak for all when I say the episode was far from standstill.Sarah runs into a diner only to be chased by two unidentified thugs arguing about if the owner’s eggs are organic, sort of a tip off that these men are religious extremists and not sent by DYAD who our star clone believes has taken her daughter.If you’re one of the few who don’t know the ongoing plot between seasons one and two I will surmise to say a genetic engineering firm (very pro cloning) has supposedly taken Sarah’s daughter as a means to barter for her cooperation. In very unethical terms, Sarah believes her refusal to become property of DYAD via patent resulted in her daughter’s kidnapping.Once again, Tatiana Maslany sparkles with her performance as Cosima to wend her way into DYAD’s offices. We realize immediately this is not the bespectacled and science savvy clone but Sarah whose desperation leads to acquiring a weapon via the sometimes drugged and daffy Alison (now seemingly content to star in neighborhood plays about murders echoing her slightly accidental offing of her suspicious neighbor).The wild cards are of course Paul who decides to let Sarah go after failing to confirm Proclone Rachel has taken her as a bartering chip and Delphine who still appears to show allegiance to Dr. Leekie despite her love/lust for Cosima.Felix’s simple assumption that Helena may be behind the child’s kidnapping becomes very close to the mark when near the episode’s end we see my personal favorite clone, Helena - the red jello consuming, Ukrainian – stagger into a hospital to claim she was shot by her sister. It seems plausible the religious extremists may have taken Sarah’s daughter but for what exact end we do not know yet. It was a true hand clapping moment to see my dear crazed Helena back in the mix.Orphan Black seems to bring us to cheers each episode with its plot twists, dark humor and our deep seated need to remain human even when we may have been scientifically altered. I believe Tatiana and company will live up to high expectations in what promises to be, in the producers words, ‘the first season on crack’.